Loki's Shadow
by Umbra93
Summary: *Post Thor: A Dark World* The portals connecting the 9 realms are closed, leaving many humans stranded in Asgard, including Caroline Stark (Tony's cousin). When she and Loki cross paths, they soon realize she can see right past his magic. Promptly after Loki holds her captive in fears of being revealed, they find humans weren't the only creatures that slipped into Asgard.


**WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE 2****ND**** THOR MOVIE, GO TO YOUR LOCAL THEATRE, WATCH IT, THEN COME BACK.**

**Just to warn you: This is my first attempt at a Thor fanfic. It may be a pile of crap, or it may not. I just REALLY wanted to make a Loki fanfic, and I'm planning on having this mostly lit on him in this. The Dark World threw me into a state of epic Fandomness, and I don't know why I hadn't noticed Loki's awesomeness 'till the 3****rd**** movie he's been in. I also have an unstable internet connection, so references in detail may be fuzzy. I will apologize in advance for that.**

**This story takes place "in between" what I call the "waiting period" between movies, though I have no idea what to expect in the next upcoming Avengers or the 3****rd**** Thor movie (there's theory of Loki transforming into Lady Loki and that just… It's taking me a while to adjust to that image).**

***In this universe, Loki isn't an Odin imposter ruling the kingdom… Quite yet?***

**As always: I do not own Marvel's Thor, Loki or other Marvel characters; only the OC's manifested for this fanfic is mine. **

* * *

Five days passed since the alignment of the nine realms. Thor left Asgard to help rebuild the destruction brought upon the human towns on Earth. Nobody knew of Loki's survival from his brawl with the Kursed. He preferred it to stay that way… For the time being. The god of Mischief was still waiting for the opportune moment to make himself known. He could've left Asgard, hiding in some other edge of the universe, but frankly he was homesick. He had been gone two years. So much had happened since then, and doubted his relationship with his brother could ever be the same as it once was. He just wanted to feel comfortable in a place he knew; a place with warm memories, many with his belated mother.

He dwelled in an abandoned wing near his home, hidden under a bridge that was formerly used for servants. Few would dare to wonder off into that part of the palace, as the rumor was it was haunted. He and Thor used to always play in the abandoned corridors as children. If anyone were to stumble across it, they wouldn't see Loki, but instead only a stranger; an Asgardian soldier claiming to be on guard duty. He tried to not go out in public too often, as disguising himself for hours was exhausting work on his magic.

Wandering the halls in his disguise, he overheard discussion between two guards.

"Odin is trying to send them back in groups. These humans are never gonna get what's going on around here." One stated.

"Those damn elves really screwed us over. They made Loki's chaos look like child's play." The other complained.

The god of mischief couldn't help but grin. He was partial in favor to their opinions. _Humans always seem to get themselves in trouble. I wonder how Thor would react to all this. What is his fascination with these fragile creatures anyway?_ Loki wondered, debating on seeing the action for himself or to turn in for the day. Being in hiding was often boring. His cell in the dungeon was more exciting than this.

* * *

The invisible portals in between realms from before the initial alignment made quite the mess, with Asgard right in the middle of it all. Things and people alike had gone missing from other realms. Some made it back, others had all but disappeared entirely. Then, there were the humans caught in the crossfire. The portals had already faded. They couldn't just accidentally fall into one and suddenly back onto Earth. Without help, the mortals were stuck there, in the realm of god-like beings.

Asgardian soldiers arranged them in a group like a heard of sheep, making it through the city toward the gate. Many of their eyes were filled in fascination or fear as numerous Asgardian heads turned in their direction.

In amongst the group, nearing the back, was a girl by the name of Caroline Elizabeth Stark. Trailing in the back of the group, she sighed as she looked around as she walked. Caroline wasn't frightened. She had seen so many movies and played so many video games; she was desensitized by practically all of this. If anything, she almost felt like she had walked into one of her shows!

Her dark, reddish wavy hair sat over her shoulders as she checked the time on her phone. Her soft, steel blue eyes absorbed everything she observed in the common area of the kingdom. It was the most beautiful place she had set eyes upon, and she was about to leave it behind forever.

Caroline didn't want to go back to Earth. Not this way. What was it she needed to go back to? No family, a terrible job, no friends, no decent life. Why go back to hell that was Earth? She knew the King was simply trying to help restore order in Asgard, but was it necessary to use so much power to summon them back home? The red-head turned and approached one of the soldiers trailing just behind her. Summoning as much courage she could muster, she had his attention for but a moment.

"Sir… Why is it we all have to go back?" She asked.

"Because this is not your world. You humans are too weak to survive here. It is for the best." The nameless soldier answered.

She clenched her fists in desperation. "We 'weak' humans helped save this world and the others… We even destroyed an alien army in New York. I think with some time we'll be okay." She argued, not noticing a new person trailing behind the group.

Loki wanted to observe the Gate Keeper's unique and tiring job of sending them home. He debated planting little paint explosives on some of the humans, just for his own pleasure of messing with them. He figured since he wouldn't be missed or seen, he might as well have fun with it. Despite all he had gone through, he still couldn't help himself but to still be the God of mischief.

"Get back in line.." The annoyed soldier shoed the woman away. She wasn't going to give up so easy.

"I can work. I may not be physically strong, but I can be useful in other ways. I don't want to go back!" Caroline pleaded. Loki's eyes were neutral, turning a glance as he noticed her behavior. He wasn't curious enough to inquire what she was going on about, but he still found it unusual for someone to not want to go home so badly. Then again, he knew he didn't have much room to talk. He had once tried to destroy the very world he originally came from.

"Tell it to someone who cares…" The soldier scoffed, shoving her back with the others.

She frowned with a whimper. Caroline used every ounce of self-control to keep a calm and collected appearance as she screamed in her head. Spinning over to walk backwards for a moment to look for another guard to victimize, she noticed a fuzzy transparent-like being in the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure what she was looking at until she focused at it. It seemed to be a hologram-like image breaking apart, revealing a different person on the inside; someone somehow familiar.

Cautiously, the woman approached the being, believing it to be some form of Asgardian technology that was glitching up. The closer she went, the more the image became more clear. The broken hologram looked like one of the nameless soldiers, and on the inside… Her eyes widened with shock and confusion.

He noticed the girl walk over, curious about her intentions. Was she going to attempt pleading to stay in Asgard, to _him_? This was what he had feared; looking the part meant being forced to act the part. Oh, his accursed nature. How was it that red headed humans always had a tendency to cross his path? It couldn't be the opposite color coordination, red and green. He wasn't a Christmas ornament.

"…Loki..?" She spoke just above a whisper.

"-Is dead?" He interrupted her as he pretended to not have been startled, seeing that look of recognition in the girl's eye. "Yes, tragic. He died with honor." He added, his head tilting slightly, pondering what to do with several questions running through his head. _How the hell…?_

Caroline had never met Loki in person, but instead had the grand description and even a photograph from her dear sweet, _never-around-ever-because-I'm-always-busy-making-new-toys-and-saving-the-world distant cousin_, Tony Stark.

Loki debated whether or not to avoid potential exposure by killing the human girl, or simply try and make her forget using a spell, though he suddenly doubted that would be possible. Somehow she could see through his spell. He snatched her arm, holding the human in place.

"What the hell?!" Caroline protested, heads turning their direction.

"This one needs further questioning before being sent home." He stated. In truth, the guards could care less, as they personally believed, the humans would possibly show some form of promise in Asgard. They could live simple lives. It was Odin that made the last decision, and that was the final word.

Loki swiftly dragged the girl out of the group, heading toward an alley. "First you want out, and now you struggle?" The god growled in frustration.

"Not by you, of all people!" She cried, this time in true panic. She had seen the footage of what he had done to New York, killing hundreds of innocents all for pay back, all for a message to his brother. It nearly killed Tony. It didn't matter to her how he was so disconnected with his family. She was devoted to it, making Loki's actions there personal.

"How is it you can-" He began to muster as he suddenly heard voices ahead. Loki paused, deciding a quick change in appearance, extending his illusion onto Caroline. He appeared as a different nameless soldier with different features, locking arms with a plain looking Asgardian woman in common robes.

The god of illusion whispered in her ear, "Don't look frightened in any way. Look content and say nothing, or else I will kill you before your next breath." He threatened coldly, only making it worse for her to hold composure.

She swallowed dryly as her heart rate quickened, briefly looking at her changed appearance. It was truly a strange day; she could see the disguise well on her, but with Loki, she saw him as if through foggy glass. Odin approached them followed by other Asgardian officials. Loki avoided eye contact as they proceeded to walk. _Hello father._ He nodded without a glance seeing his sorcery shielding them well. Caroline held her breath as Odin crossed their path. _Someone help me, I'm being kidnapped by a psycho! Odin, I wish you could read my mind! _She closed her eyes as Loki continued escorting her to god-knows-where.

No one else crossed his path as he went through a passage, down another corridor, and into the abandoned wing that was his hidden residence. The walls were lightly decorated with swords and other various short range weapons scattered about what seemed at random. It divided into three rooms on each side of the walls, all with large entryways, lacking the privacy of a door, but instead large intricately decorated blankets the size of a bus.

Loki shoved Caroline in the right hand room, which was a primitive study/lounge room. Instead of weapons, he kept bookshelves that were, at the moment, more than halfway empty. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be in hiding, so he collected books from around Asgard. There were two couches facing parallel to each other in the center of the room, with the far corner holding an unlit fireplace. The room was lit by natural sunlight, beaming from high circular windows where all you could see was sky.

The god of mischief lifted the disguises off, making his appearance clear as day to Caroline. She then realized how much the illusion really had covered him over. She blinked a few times, as her mind adjusted seeing him crystal clear. "What do you want?" She asked.

He made an unsettling smile as he suddenly seemed pleased to see the girl. "What do I want?" He chuckled. "I want to figure out how it as to why you, a human, mortal girl, could see right through Asgardian magic." He ranted in an eerie cheerful tone, circling the red head in only a few strides.

"How the hell should I know? I couldn't see completely through it, you kinda looked like a ghost or something.." She admitted nervously. She debated on whether or not she was starting to actually miss home. She didn't anticipate a slightly insane demigod to help her out. Caroline nonchalantly studied the weaponry on the walls, looking for a possible way to get out of there. Loki tilted his head, circling the girl. The idea of killing her no longer felt appropriate.

"Let's see what my books will say. Please, sit." He welcomed her to the couch as he approached a lone stack of books.

Caroline crossed her arms, eyes boring at the back of the demigod's head. "…Just so you know your captive, I'm Caroline…"

Loki nearly didn't catch that as he found what he was looking for. She continued. "…Caroline Stark. Tony Stark is my cousin, the same guy you threw out a window and nearly destroyed his house."

He paused, grinning slowly as he came to understand her words. He pulled out a book on magic resistance, turning to face her. "You are of relation to that man with a metal suit of armor?"

She shrugged. "I hardly hear from him. Pepper made him call me as a form of therapy from a panic attack. Seriously, you almost wiped everyone out _including_ yourself."

The god of mischief chuckled at the irony.

"It is what I have been told. He is quite strange, Tony. It seems your family has the infuriating fortune of averting my magic." He replied thoughtfully, recalling how his spear didn't affect Tony at all, and now Stark's young cousin can see past his illusions.

"Seriously, sit. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be talking right now." Loki assured her as the two had a brief stare off.

With a sigh, Caroline turned away, sitting down. It was more comfortable than she had expected. It had been a tiring day. The God of Mischief returned to his book, finding nothing of use about humans. He saw plenty of explanations of magic resistance from Asgardian beings, but none on mortals. He was tempted to get a biological scan on her in the palace. Caroline looked about the place, noticing the display of weapons more closely. "You know you can't keep me here forever." She stated.

"When I am assured you are not going to reveal me, yes, you are." He bluntly argued, not bothering to look up. She slowly stood back up and headed towards the wall, looking at the decorated swords, daggers, and even a few throwing knives. Heart pounding, she snagged two of the daggers as she spoke to cover the sound of pulling them off the display. "Even then, where am I going to sleep?" She asked, slipping the small blades in her pocket.

"Here, if you like it." He sighed.

He knew she was up to something. He wasn't stupid. Caroline pretended to be curious about the room as she edged towards the exit, her fingers tracing along the dagger in her pocket. "Yeah, that sounds okay." She shrugged, eyes on the carpeted exit as Loki shut his book. Her heart sank. _Shit._ He frowned as he worked on figuring out what she was doing. He knew she was going to try and escape, and he knew she wouldn't get very far. "Until I am to make myself known, I guess you are my newest puzzle." He made a weak smile as her eyes widened. _Uh… Yeah, no._ Caroline bolted full force at the exit with Loki immediately on her tail.

She made it past the blanket and into the hallway until something before her frightened her more than Loki, of whom nearly fell over her. The collision forced him to drop his book as he saw what startled the girl: A large black wolf-like animal the size of a horse, snarling, angry teeth and druel center stage. It growled lowly as its claws sank into the ground.

_This almost looks to be a creature of a different realm. How did it find this place?_ Loki pondered.

"I take it this is your guard dog?" Caroline muttered as Loki kept his eyes locked on the animal, one hand on her arm.

"Of course not. You think of me _that _crazy?" He scoffed. "I don't know!" She cried.

With some tactic, this was going to be easy. Caroline noticed he divided himself, making his hologram stand behind her as he moved elsewhere. To her, at least, the hologram was somewhat transparent.

Everything happened so quickly.

Fake Loki pushed her behind him, pulling his dagger out towards the beast. The animal of course never noticed the difference as he lowered himself to pounce as real Loki attacked from behind, driving a dagger into the giant canine's heart. It howled in a whimper as it fell before Caroline's feet. The demigod smiled in satisfaction of his kill, distracted enough to not notice the second beast behind him. _I can certainly make this my key trophy piece_… He pleasantly thought to himself.

Caroline's eyes widened as the second wolf-like creature was preparing to pounce.

"Loki!" She cried as the beast attacked him, razor sharp teeth biting down into his armored shoulder. Without much thought, the girl struck the animal with a dagger in its shoulder, causing it to lose its grip. Loki turned himself around just as the beast whirled itself around throwing Caroline off itself. Her back against a wall, it snarled, its claws lashing at her. She screamed, crossing arms up over her head as she felt it swipe clear over her forearm before Loki gave the final blow. One hand crushing the animal's windpipe, he violently stabbed it in the chest, striking the heart. It fell with a thud, as the demigod took a moment to study the animal, hands gripped to his blade.

Caroline whimpered as her arm bled from the deep scratches. She could no longer stand, as she sat against the coolness of the wall behind her. They weren't deep lacerations, but she knew it would definitely scar. What was she thinking? Loki could've fended for himself. Then again, at her angle, it looked like he was being eaten. What else could she have done? She couldn't live with herself if she just let him die. With a sigh, Loki turned around to check on the mortal girl, observing her wound as he approached, looking down on her.

He gave out his hand out of curiosity of whether she'd take it. In these few moments, he noticed a shift in energy between himself and the girl, and was trying to interpret it. He had said to himself he was curious what about these humans fascinated his brother so much. Loki was beginning to see his question was going to soon be answered. Caroline paused before giving him her good, hand as he helped her up, leading her back into the study room.

Loki had found some gauze bandages, water, and a few healing supplies that stopped the bleeding. It took a moment for Caroline to feel comfortable, him sitting beside her as she applied her own first aid.

"That was heroic… But foolish." He lightly smiled as he polished his dagger, wiping blood off the ends.

Caroline glared up at him. "Foolish? I was trying to save you." She argued.

"I had it under control. You, a mortal girl were no match defeating such a creature," Loki rebutted. "You see now the consequences of your actions." He added, pointing out the wound.

"If I hadn't jumped in, you would've been dog food." Caroline pointed out, her shaken fingers trying to finish up the gauze. Her body was going through a delayed reaction since the adrenaline stopped flowing. She herself was no longer terrified of the beasts, but her body was shaking like a leaf. She wasn't as desensitized to violence as much as she thought. At least when she watched movies when this happened, she wasn't the one who got hurt.

Loki chuckled. "I would not have given it the chance." He stated, finally having it with watching the mortal struggle with the bandage. Snatching her arm, he made the final touch on the gauze, making sure it was snug.

His brow furrowed. "What compelled you so to swoop in and try saving your captor?" He asked.

"If Thor permitted you to live, that must have meant he saw something in you worth saving." She answered plainly. "I have this thing about people dying in vein. It's funny, I'm the cousin of a man who used to build weapons, yet I can't stand the thought of people dying." Caroline shrugged as Loki listened, barely making any sign of acknowledgement.

"But what of those who pillage and murder the innocent? What of those who are worthy of death?" He inquired, almost referring to himself.

Caroline's hand brushed over her arm, avoiding eye contact. "On Earth, some do get death as punishment. Thing is.. I see that is too easy. It's the coward's way out of not taking responsibility for their actions. Instead of death, I believe they should suffer, put away the rest of their life in a prison cell so they can dwell on their actions."

Loki smirked, recalling his brief time in the dungeon. He wondered if that was what they intended on doing to him; keeping him locked away like another artifact for the rest of his days. He almost wanted to thank the dark elves for causing his release, if only they had not slaughtered his mother. "You're beginning to speak like an Asgardian. Perhaps you could survive here." He chuckled.

Caroline shrugged, looking at her arm. "As long as we don't run into those things again, maybe."

"Speaking of such.." Loki hopped up, manifesting the appearance as a nameless civilian. "I no longer believe humans were the only things that slipped into our realm. I'm going to investigate further on this."

Her eyes widened, staring up at him. She, still saw his foggy image behind the illusion. "Are you saying more could be out there?"

Loki chuckled in amusement, finding her ignorance hilarious. He turned back to look at her. "You staying in these chambers is now an importance on if you wish to survive from those creatures. If you leave and stumble across one, remember that ruins the whole point of my kind act of saving you." He pointed out as she rolled her eyes.

"I still say I kinda of saved you." She replied, turning her head away.

He made a silent smile as he left the room. He had only been around the mortal for about 30 minutes, and he was satisfied to make progress in his goal to try understanding his brother a little better. Turning the corner, he was out and about with his spear under his plain robes. He was on the look-out for more giant black wolves, but had decided not to go out as a soldier. He didn't want someone to grab him just in case they were recruiting people over the dark creatures.

In the commons area, he lurked in a back alley corner. It was what he feared. Soldiers were lined up, running in two straight lines as King Odin rode on his horse with them.

"I want two at each door, and the rest we will defeat our enemies," Odin commanded, referring to what Loki assumed were the beasts from the other realm. "Protect our Asgardians!"

The God of Mischief was light on his feet, heading towards the palace, using back entry ways. It was peaceful for once, spite the destruction that was yet to be repaired. It almost reminded him of the time before Thor had been exiled to Earth; before he had discovered the truth of his true heritage as a frost giant; as he was only known for his knack for getting into little trouble. All of that was behind him now. He could never be the same as he once was. Spite it all, he felt stronger.

Loki slipped into the original chambers where he once slept. He silently chuckled to find it almost hadn't changed, though there were far more artifacts lying about. It was evident his extravagantly large bedroom, equipped with a balcony and full bath, was being used for storage. Guessing by his brother's influence, none of his possessions had been disturbed. This showed what indication of how much the God of Thunder had hoped his brother would return home one day with welcome. After all, he supposedly had died with honor.

He heard a noise stirring behind him as someone was entering the room. Hiding in the corners outside the balcony, he carefully observed the activity in his chambers. It was Thor, carrying his brother's spare horned helmet. Loki grinned. _I thought you were on the other side of the universe, brother_. He thought to himself as he watched Thor pause, proceeding to satisfy a curiosity by wearing Loki's helmet. It took every ounce of self-control for the God of Mischief to not burst out laughing.

His face tickled pink, he watched on his brother proceeded to wear his extravagant helmet. It was so out of place for him, Loki almost thought he was dreaming. As Thor carelessly turned his head, the horns immediately knocked over a brass globe artifact. It crashed loudly onto something else, causing a violent domino effect as Thor scrambled to recover the fallen artifacts, only to allow the helmet to knock even more things around!

Loki couldn't take it anymore as he let out a brief full hearty laugh, shutting his mouth immediately the second it caught Thor's attention. His blue eyes skimmed the large balcony as he swiftly approached, sure to have heard someone laugh.

He saw no one was there. All that he could see from below was his beloved Asgard, with the soft sounds of the people's activity on the ground. Thor's muscles relaxed as he then believed the laughter was a figment of his imagination; the ghost of Loki perhaps just mocking him. He leaned against the stone wall and sighed. "…Honestly, brother, I don't know how you averted bumping into things with this thing. It's sheer chaos." Loki grinned as he remained in a crevice under the balcony, holding there by the will of his spear keeping him up.

_Simple, I am not a pack rat and I enjoy open spaces._ He mentally replied to his brother.

With a pained expression, Thor removed the troublesome helmet and rested it on the stone floor. With a sigh, the God of Thunder left the room, leaving his mess of fallen artifacts on the ground.

As soon as Loki could sense the coast was clear, he maneuvered himself back onto the balcony to find his helmet. With a wide grin, he snickered, replaying his brother's moment of chaos just moments ago. Holding it up by the hook of its right horn, Loki took hold of his helmet, moving it back inside. He was going to make a bit of fun with his brother's clumsy curiosity. The God of Mischief placed his helmet directly facing the door, sitting on the foot of his bed, to stare directly at anyone who dare enter his chambers. He sighed in moderate satisfaction, idly scratching the back of his head. Pulling harmless pranks like those nearly made everything normal again.

It didn't last long. A loud roar bellowed past his door, along with several alert soldiers. The beasts were in his home. Loki transformed his appearance as a soldier before leaving the room with spear in hand. He watched as Thor was in the lead. It was now evident as to why he returned so early. Odin must have alerted him of the situation here. Repairs on Earth could wait as innocents Asgardians were in danger.

The God of Thunder swung at the pack of giant wolves like they were nothing as they were flung through the air. They yelped in pain like dogs, slammed against the platforms of the building. The others snarled and attacked soldiers. Volstagg, Fandral, and Sif fought in stride with the lot of them. Loki did not dare get too close as he traced the perimeter. A beast that had snuck around the corner leapt up at Loki as he swiftly attacked with his spear, striking true through its chest. He made one mistake of not looking behind him already. He wasn't going to be surprised again. He debated on just simply joining in the fight, his true identity shielded with his magic. _If only you saw me, brother. Will you still think high of me now as when you believed I died?_ Loki grinned to himself.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, every time Loki looked over at his brother, he couldn't help but imagine his helmet on his head, and couldn't stop smiling. Thor had this battle won before it even started as the wolves had already began retreating. It ended nearly as fast as it had started. Loki dislodged his favored weapon out of the fallen animal. The Asgardian soldiers rubbed the back of their necks. Some groaned in frustration as others silently celebrated their survival.

"Is it possible an invisible path to this realm is still open?" Sif asked in frustration, resting her blade.

"I can ask Jane Foster for her assistance if that is so." Thor answered in thought.

"There are far too many from just one instance." Volstagg added.

Loki observed in silence as Thor and his friends venture off in search for answers. His brow furrowed. He knew there were other ways to the other realms without the need of the bifrost, but was it possible a new one had formed, causing this collision of worlds? Perhaps there were spots he did not know about yet? He made note to himself to stay close by to his brother as he remained in Asgard. He had gotten what he wanted, but so much was still unanswered.

* * *

The God of Mischief made it back to his private dwellings without incident as his appearance transformed back to normal. Turning into the study room he left Caroline in, he noticed she made herself at home, rearranging the furniture to her liking. He also noticed she had started the fireplace. Loki approached to see if she was awake. He saw the girl seemed relaxed, though her arms were crossed as if she were cold despite the warmth of the fire. Her head rested on a small pillow, allowing her to sleep soundly.

_What were you planning on with those daggers when you first attempted to run? You knew you couldn't hurt me. _He pondered, rubbing his sleepy eyes. Using his magic, Loki manifested a blanket, lightly placing it over her. Loki could sense she slowly stopped shivering as he left. Her eyes fluttered noticing the change in temperature, only catching a glimpse of his shadow before he disappeared. She nearly hoped she had been dreaming this entire experience. She wasn't surprised she wasn't.

_I guess you're not pure evil, Loki. Why do you hide your kindness from everyone? _Caroline asked in her head, before the spell of sleep took over once more.

* * *

**Questions... thoughts... Comments? Please review! I thrive on feedback. I'm still fuzzy on how everything else turns out. Anyway, yeah. Updating soon. lol**


End file.
